VIEWPOINTS – Distilling classic texts: BATTLEFIELD and SONGS OF LEAR at BAM

BAM’s Next Wave Festival continues with two shows that showcase theater’s ability to distill narratives, particularly classic texts depicting troubled kings, to a few elegant strokes. With running times of just over an hour, both productions get to the essence of the epic Indian poem The Mahabharata and Shakespeare’s King Lear, respectively, with astonishing economy and grace.

The company of "Battlefield" at BAM Harvey

The company of “Battlefield” at BAM Harvey

I was very much looking forward to Peter Brook’s return to the BAM Harvey (then called the BAM Majesti), which he christened with his now legendary nine-hour production of The Mahabharata. In the deeply human Battlefield (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), via C.I.C.T. – Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Peter Brook and his longtime collaborator Marie-Hélène Estienne also return, in exquisite fashion, to the classic Indian text of The Mahabharata, albeit in a far more concentrated incarnation. Set just after a bloody civil war, Battlefield tells the story of a king who has to reconcile having to rule after having massacred millions during the conflict – including family members. Mr. Brook and Ms. Estienne have directed the piece with their trademark calm simplicity and carefully calibrated contemplative style, which fits the philosophical nature of the play beautifully. To tell the epic and timeless story, they deploy just four actors – Carole Karemera, Jared McNeill, Ery Nzaramba, and Sean O’Callaghan; all superlative in their peerless clarity – and a musician (Toshi Tsuchitori, a drummer who was featured in the mentioned original production of The Mahabharata), many of whom have worked with Mr. Brook and Ms. Estienne in the past. There’s no scenery to speak of and the only props are some long sticks and a number of color-coded silk blankets. With these meager tools, Battlefield evokes unspeakable horrors, sublime beauty, as well as mystical universes within universes.  This is theater stripped to its essential ingredients, and it’s just mesmerizing to behold.

The company of "Songs of Lear" at BAM Fisher

The company of “Songs of Lear” at BAM Fisher

In addition to Battlefield, I was also able to catch Songs of Lear (RECOMMENDED) at the BAM Fisher this week, courtesy of the Polish music and performance group Song of the Goat. Songs of Lear is an abstract attempt to distill the essence of Shakespeare’s King Lear into an abbreviated song cycle, complete with snippets of dialogue by the Bard and even some spirited choreography. The cycle is comprised of twelve songs that are orchestrated with mainly the human voice and just a few instruments (there are thirteen performers in the piece). The sound these performers create is gorgeously eclectic, wonderfully melding Eastern European, Renaissance, and modern minimalist musical traditions in a seamless manner. Each song is introduced by director Grzegorz Bral to give audiences some context around the songs’ themes vis-à-vis King Lear – which, though helpful, concerned me a bit. I quickly realized that although I had a visceral reaction to many of the songs, I ultimately felt they were somewhat too abstract for me and therefore a bit disconnected from the underlying Shakespearean text. However, this is a minor quibble in what is certainly an ambitious undertaking.

 

BATTLEFIELD
Off-Broadway, Play
C.I.C.T. – Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord at BAM Harvey Theater
1 hour, 15 minutes (without an intermission)
Through October 9

SONGS OF LEAR
Off-Broadway, Dance/Music
Song of the Goat at BAM Fisher
1 hour (without an intermission)
Through October 1

Categories: Dance, Music, Off-Broadway, Theater

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